Holly House Development Task Force

After the Congregational vote in June 2017, in which the Congregation voted not to keep the Holly House property as-is, the Board formed the Holly House Development Task Force to:

draft a formal Request for Proposals to be circulated in the development communities (both affordable housing and market rate)

collect input from the Congregation to develop a decision matrix as one tool to use in comparing the various options that are presented to us

summarize the proposals to present to the Board and Congregation for vote

will not be making any decisions as to the future of the property

It is important to know that the Financial Stewardship Committee of the Board will also be independently reviewing the proposals to compare to their 5-year Strategic Financial Plan, and will provide input to the Board/Congregation.

Current members of the HHHDTF include Marcy Langrock (chair), David Baumgart, Benji Langrock, Seth Hamilton, Lee Dorigan, and Jason Puracal.
Current professional liaisons to the Task Force include Abbie Birmingham, Craig Nelson, and Bob Weiss.

East Shore Unitarian Church is soliciting proposals for the purchase and development of one of its properties, known as the Holly House property, located in the Woodridge neighborhood in the City of Bellevue, WA. East Shore is seeking a developer or development team to purchase and develop the property in a manner that adds value to the surrounding community, complies with the City of Bellevue’s building codes and development plans, and, either directly or indirectly, furthers the mission of ESUC.For more information, click here

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Should market rate developers submit proposals for purchase and development of the Holly House property?A: To be clear, East Shore is seeking proposals from both market rate and affordable housing developers. Any net proceeds from a sale of the land would be considered in support of East Shore’s Mission. In other words, we are encouraging market rate developers to submit proposals.

Q: Who is currently occupying the Holly House? And what are the plans for the current tenants?A: The Holly House is currently being leased to The Sophia Way for transitional housing for women through June 2018. We expect any future development on the property would involve a collaborative conversation with The Sophia Way regarding timing of any potential transition.

Q: Does East Shore have a target number for the sale of the property?A: Per the Board of Trustees Ends (1.2: By the Annual Congregational Meeting in June 2018, ESUC will have a plan reviewed and approved by the Congregation for the development of the Holly House property that will result in proceeds to ESUC of at least $1 M.), East Shore expects a minimum of $1 Million for the potential sale of the property.